7-Day Git Challenge

7 days · 4 labs · 6 knowledge checks · for developers who use git daily and want the model behind the commands.

Tick each day as you finish it. Progress is stored in this browser and shown onMy Academy.

1. Day 1 What a commit is (self-reported)

   Explain why a commit is a snapshot, not a diff, and why every clone is complete.

   • Understand What Is Git? A Practical Guide to Version Control
   • Test yourself Knowledge check at the end of the lesson

   Then Run `git log --oneline` in a real repository and read the first ten lines as snapshots.

   Checkpoint — Reading commits as snapshots. A new situation, not the lesson's example; 2 variants, a different one on each retry. Passing records "Completed: Reading commits as snapshots" in My Academy.
2. Day 2 The three places a change lives (self-reported)

   Tell working tree, index and repository apart, and read `git status --short` correctly.

   • Understand Git Working Tree Explained: Tracked, Untracked, Modified and Ignored Files
   • Test yourself Knowledge check at the end of the lesson

   Then Stage half of a change with `git add -p` and confirm `MM` in status.

   Checkpoint — Identifying what enters the next commit. A new situation, not the lesson's example; 2 variants, a different one on each retry. Passing records "Completed: Identifying what enters the next commit" in My Academy.
3. Day 3 The index (self-reported)

   Know what `git add` actually writes, and why partial staging is possible.

   • Understand Understanding the Git Index (the Staging Area)
   • Test yourself Knowledge check at the end of the lesson

   Then Unstage a file with `git restore --staged` and watch the status column move.

   Checkpoint — Staging control (unstage without losing work). A new situation, not the lesson's example; 2 variants, a different one on each retry. Passing records "Completed: Staging control (unstage without losing work)" in My Academy.
4. Day 4 HEAD and branches (self-reported)

   Explain HEAD → branch → commit, and what "detached" means.

   • Understand Understanding HEAD in Git
   • Test yourself Knowledge check at the end of the lesson
   • Practice Lab: Recover a Lost Commit from a Detached HEAD

   Then Do the lab: lose a commit on a detached HEAD and get it back.

   Checkpoint — HEAD and detached-HEAD recovery. A new situation, not the lesson's example; 2 variants, a different one on each retry. Passing records "Completed: HEAD and detached-HEAD recovery" in My Academy.
5. Day 5 Branches are pointers (self-reported)

   Create, switch, compare and delete branches knowing nothing is copied.

   • Understand Git Branches Explained: How Branching Really Works
   • Test yourself Knowledge check at the end of the lesson
   • Practice Lab: Recover a Deleted Git Branch

   Then Do the lab: delete a branch with unmerged work and recover it from the reflog.

   Checkpoint — Branch recovery practice. A new situation, not the lesson's example; 2 variants, a different one on each retry. Passing records "Completed: Branch recovery practice" in My Academy.
6. Day 6 Undo the right way (self-reported)

   Choose between restore, reset and revert by where the change is and where it should be.

   • Understand Undo a Git Commit: Amend, Reset, Revert or Rebase
   • Practice Lab: Reset, Revert and Restore — Choose the Right One

   Then Do the lab, including the one command that destroys work, in the disposable repository.

   Checkpoint — Choosing a safe undo. A new situation, not the lesson's example; 2 variants, a different one on each retry. Passing records "Completed: Choosing a safe undo" in My Academy.
7. Day 7 Merging without fear (self-reported)

   Read conflict markers as punctuation and resolve a conflict properly.

   • Understand Resolving Merge Conflicts in Git: A Practical Guide
   • Test yourself Knowledge check at the end of the lesson
   • Practice Lab: Resolve a Merge Conflict

   Then Finish the lab, then take the "New to Git" learning path from wherever it now starts for you.

   Checkpoint — Conflict resolution practice. A new situation, not the lesson's example; 2 variants, a different one on each retry. Passing records "Completed: Conflict resolution practice" in My Academy.